This will be a game played out of pure desperation.
Seton Hall plays Rutgers on Wednesday night at The RAC in a huge Big East Conference tilt. The Pirates (15-8, 4-7) are in a free fall currently, losing six in a row including a blowout loss to UConn over the weekend. Rutgers is coming off of back-to-back losses themselves, the first of which being a debacle to bottom-feeder Providence.
Seton Hall still has a chance to make a run in the conference. After tonight, it plays Pittsburgh and St. John's, two very winnable games for a team with designs of playing in March. Herb Pope is expected to play after missing the UConn game with bruised ribs.
Rutgers on the other hand has a harder road ahead. Its next three games include being at Notre Dame and Marquette, and hosting Syracuse. The freshmen tandem of Eli Carter and Myles Mack will have to step up in a big way to give the Scarlet Knights a legitimate shot going forward.
This is the first meeting of the year between these two New Jersey rivals. They'll square off once again at Seton Hall on Feb. 25.
TV: ESPN2
Time: 9 p.m. ET